This Cunard Regular Puts Their Brand-New Ship To The Test

Celebrity doing the same thing by adding more Retreat class cabins than the older ships leading to a less exclusive and intimate experience.

Hi if you take a cruise excursion from a cruise ship on a bus do you have to sit in the same seats every time you get on and off the bus at each stop even if their are no personal belongings on the seats

I haven't heard a single good review of Queen Anne

We travelled on Queen Elizabeth and found crew service incredibly slow. The crew were rude, served with an attitude, didnt go out of their way to make you feel welcome and gave the impresion they did not want to be there and that they didn't want passengers to be there either. Seem sum reviews that since carnaval bought cunard, they have prioritized money over service to cunards detriment. We treat cunard as a novelty cruise now, rather than a cruise line you would choose to spend your holidays on. Celebrity or royal Caribbean give much better service, would chose them over cunard any day. Cunard is set firmly for the 70+ crowd, if you are younger than 70, dont sail on cunard.

I really missed your review of the vegetarian/vegan options. Most cruise lines fail down in this area. Isn’t your partner vegetarian?

Gary, I always enjoy your videos. I understand loyalty to a brand, as I am loyal to Holland America. I’ve sailed on several other lines, but HAL suits me to a ‘T’. I do NOT want to “hit the Lido Deck for the limbo contest” (Carnival), the nickel and dime-ing common on Royal Caribbean, etc.
This new Cunard ship doesn’t look luxurious, or inviting. The food doesn’t look special either. I love getting a full tea in the library of the HAL ships, their enrichment presentations, cooking classes, and many great music venues.

I think the Cunard might be ok for a transatlantic voyage, but then again, for the difference in cost, I’d rather stay a HAL gal!

My image of Cunard is that of luxury trans-atlantic ocean liners. Since carnoval has plenty of brands, it is interesting that they are extending Cunard to include "cruising" on a modern "vanilla" ship that just includes some of the true Cunard image. Curious to see how their marleting manages to keep the 2 different Cunards different.

I was hoping you'd talk more about the Halifax Club? stuff.
David

We will be staying in London next May then traveling for the queen and in the Southampton cruise port can you recommend a private transfer service? Thank you.

How disappointing. I love the art-deco style. It's a shame everything is turning into this bland tan-and-gray world. I detest any class system though. Cunard probably isn't for me.

Brilliant review of Queen Anne. I was feeling rather underwhelmed after watching a few other videos but I feel you've explained it very well when you've likened Cunard to chartering a new ship whilst still running the Cunard schedule. I'm reassured and think I'm going to be ok when I embark in August for the Norwegian Fjords. I think Queen Victoria will always be my favourite ship.

I have always believed that, while a cruise line should have it's brand image and service going across the entire fleet, EVERY ship should have its own design flavor. Even in the same class ship, why not have one Bohemian, one Scandinavian, one industrial, heck one like Star Trek, one in Viking style. Right now, I get confused between ships because they all look alike. I used to like exploring every floor of every ship; now I know exactly what I will find.

Although I'm disappointed there are no specific solo staterooms, I'm intrigued enough to give Anne a go. Brights Lights Society looks great fun, and looked almost Virgin-esque. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I go on Cunard because i want it to be stuffy and traditional

If they have increased the covers in the Princess Grills have the staff ratio’s also increased in the restaurant to keep the service up to par? We have always enjoyed excellent table service in both Princess and Queens Grills on Victoria and Q Elizabeth, from your review I think we will be sticking to those ships. Keep up the excellent reviews Gary

This ship looks beautiful. Very interesting to know they’ve used the base from the Pinnacle class

Really good perspectives. In my view, Queen Anne is Cunard's pivot toward Celebrity. I have explained in other posts that I believe this is a financial decision driven by increasing on board incremental revenue opportunities. Where fewer opportunities exist for incremental on board revenue like the Queen's Room, Churchill's etc, Cunard has diminished the venue and this includes Britannia MDR.
I see a brand in search of itself. I found the world cruise on the QM2 more like a geriatric ward: a T/A crossing a bit more fun and will try Anne in January. But I stumbled onto Celebrity to attend a wedding and found it superior in almost every way except for 2 things: MDR experience was drab and the cabin fit and finish (Silhouette) was poor. But food, gym, spa, activities, music were massively superior and this is comparing Britannia to Aqua Class which were almost identical on a price per day basis. Cunard seems to be drifting. Pun intended.

Having been on the 14 night Festival of Britain cruise I would echo everything said, good and bad, 100%. This is based upon 2xQueen Mary and 5xQueen Elizabeth. My two further comments would be, firstly, fundamental design. I am a keen photographer and get up for most sunrises. This means the ship is deserted and also perfect for internal shots. But after a few days I realised there was little 'wow factor'. 'Architecturally' the ship does not offer much over and above being functional. Compare with QM or QE which, even now, wow me time and time again. The second point is Cunard seems to have done away with the resident 'pop/rock group' since COVID. Sail Aways are sad affairs with perfectly good musicians playing on the Panorama deck. No, not 'perfectly good' but brilliant. However, being a good musician does not make you a performer. They need to get a covers band on board for people to let their hair down to.

Not for me I think, they seem to have lost the plot and missed the fact people enjoy the different look and ambiance of the original ships but I hope to be proven wrong. At present this just looks like any other new ship I’ve been on. Wish they had just updated the rooms/bathrooms in the old ships 😊

i've never been on a cruise and i probably won't any time soon but i enjoy your videos. when i finally get to go on a cruise i'll know what to expect and i won't be surprised by not being prepared for something. the love boat (tv show) didn't prepare me for todays cruise lines lol

Having been on exactly 1 cruise, on Holland America Konningsdam, I was watching this and thinking "ooo recognise that, that looks familiar"

Which strikes me as missing the point for Cunard.

Great review!! Love your channel of truth!

I really enjoyed this review, Gary - I’ve been a bit unsure if Queen Anne would be for me, but I reckon you’ve convinced me with this review. Thanks very much!

Thanks for this . To me it looks like any other large traditional cruise ship , but has the same dull old fashioned Cunard programme . I admit a lot of people like that but I think Celebrity has a lot more to offer .

We were on the British Isles Festival voyage. Excellent experience overall! Cunard has done a great job updating things without losing the traditional features.

I feel it’s not cruise line for everyone
Thanks for your input

Sounds really boring to me.

Always spot on with an almost surgical approach to every aspect of the cruising experience.

And let's be honest here, as you correctly noted, Cunard treats families with children as an afterthought. I endured - trust me, that is the word - a trans Atlantic with my grandparents when I was a child and there were little if no activities for the few kids on the ship. We also felt the staff were looking at us as nuisances that had to be accomodated as almost all of us were traveling first class.

Luckily for us, one of the families had brought along their Norland Nurse who quickly decided we were her charges for the trip and went out of her way to make it as enjoyable as she possibly could with what little she had to work with.

What’s your carbon footprint with all these cruises or don’t you care?

This concept of comparison is ingenious, Gary.

Probably the best summing up of The Queen Anne. From what I can see they are trying to be all things to all men or neither one thing or another .Too complex in dining! The three dinning arrangements Britannia,Princess Queens grill is sufficient. This is the result of a new generation of cruising by the companies younger management.There was a compromise between the decor on the older ships and what they’ve done .Too many passengers and not really five stars.If this was a new P&O ship it would totally be expected.I rather be on a more sedate cruise such as Regent with 600 passengers than pay for Queens Grill with 3000 passengers.Only benefit for people who live in the UK is no flying cruising, which is a real benefit.

V interesting and in depth review, thank you.

I don't know if they're aiming for a younger crowd, but at the whopping age of 35, I absolutely hate this. I have cruised with Cunard about 4-5 times, and their ships really feel special. Their USP was that they were a bit more formal and everything seemed more traditional/"old-fashioned".
If they have a modern interior with modern stylings instead of the classic/art-deco styling, there's not much difference from certain other lines that I could travel with for less money.

We have normally only gone with them for specific special occasions, because the styling makes them feel extra-special, and worth paying more sometimes. If they get rid of the classic style, there's no point spending the extra money, from our perspective.

Agreed, it is not much of a Cunard ship, very little "wow" factor anywhere on board. It could be any one of dozens of other cruise ships, nothing much to differentiate from say, P&O. The Queens room in particular is very disappointing. The storage space in our balcony cabin was the worst we have ever had, very little space to even hang shirts without them dragging on the floor and the same for long dresses. Booked a QM2 cruise as soon as we got back.

I’m booked in Queen Anne in June, ‘25 and really looking forward to it but find it disappointing to hear there are no solo cabins. Since losing my husband a few months ago, I now realise what a ripoff supplement charge we solo travellers have to pay. Why should I have to pay a big chunk of another person’s cruise experience!! Rant over😡 Nevertheless, I’m looking forward 😊

As long as Cunard has a system which dictates where you can go dependent upon how much you can afford to spend on a stateroom, I won’t cruise with them. I prefer to go with cruise lines who treat all their passengers the same.

Interesting video.
A murder-mystery: like that innovation.
Cunard: still the line I'm most likely to take my first cruise on.

Another Entertaining and Informative Video !👍 Thank You Gary ! Always enjoy your content!! I’m a admittedly fanatic Cunard Fan ! I’m booked for the Transatlantic Maiden Voyage on Queen Anne January 2025 ! A Cunard Transatlantic maiden voyage has always been on my bucket list since I was a small boy ! I love the three other Cunard Queens. Each for various different reasons, but one thing they all have in common is their WOW! Factor! Each room you enter takes me back to the Golden Age of ocean travel! The 1910’s thru the 1970’s ! Visions of Mauretania, Titanic, Queen Mary, Normandie, Queen Elizabeth and the QE2 dance in my head and heart ! To me , there is nothing like a Transatlantic voyage on an Ocean Liner !! I’m still going to take that 2025 Queen Anne voyage.And I know I will throughly enjoy it! But I’m sorry Gary , I must admit that I came very close to cancelling the trip after seeing the photos and videos of Queen Anne’s interiors. For me , the Wow Factor just isn’t there ! The Queens Room is too small, not enough seating, low ceilings and funny shaped dance floor ? And it’s frankly just down right ugly !!! Compare side by side photos of the Veranda Grill Room on the other three ships to the Sir Samuel’s and the other new specialty restaurants on Anne ?!? No table cloths, really Cunard? But you want me to pay extra money for a room that looks like an onshore cafeteria??? Compare ( as you did Gary ) the Churchill Cigar Lounge on the other three to the unbelievably plain room on Anne !? The promenade deck is too narrow, no deckchairs and the usual beautiful views blocked by low hanging lifeboats !? No Gary , I’ve already decided that I’ll only be taking ONE and only One voyage on Queen Anne !!😒👎🙄. And after that, it’s back to the lovely QM2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria!! Big mistake Cunard !! The Newer Generation cruisers , if they really want dull and uninspiring in their lives, can have Queen Anne !! I’ll definitely pass !!👎👋

They are trying to do something different. It looks good & I like Cunard and their staff.

Yeah that's one ship I'm not setting a foot on. If I sail with Cunard, I want Art Deco. Art Deco looks more luxurious than contemporary.

Thank you Gary. You really put it all in perspective. This helped me decide that if I sail on Cunard again, it will be on one of its older ships. There's nothing like the traditional outdoor promenade and having afternoon tea in the Queen's Room/ballroom. If the Queen Anne is an extended Holland America Pinnacle Class ship, I'd prefer to sail with HAL.

The trouble is, they pack in ten times the number of passengers in ships that are only three times the size of a 1930's Liner

What an amazing video!!! As a long time Cunarder I'm very curious to see if I like this newer iteration!

Thank you for the video!

I see that Cunard has opted for coat hangers which need two hands to hang clothes, one to hold the clothes and the other to position the little ring on the rail. I really object to these (and I tell hotels when they have them). The only reason for these to exist is that the hotel/ship thinks that I am a thief and will steal their coat hangers. I do object to being treated as a thief - I take great offence at this - how dare they accuse me of being a thief. This is a major black mark for any hotel or ship.

I want the old fashioned. Polished wood,, crystal chandeliers,. Yes Agatha Christie for sure. And i want to dance with Inspector Poirot .And I'm not old❤🎉

Re: disappointing lack of promenade deck sight-lines because of lifeboats.

Point well taken.
But at least Cunard have provided lifeboats; unlike a certain White Star ocean liner.
(Sigh).